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Personal Legend

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PERSONAL LEGEND – This is something that has been confusing all the time I try to figure it out. I’ve wanted to become many things all through my life (I’m almost 23), I’ve been wanting to pursue many dreams, and on the way they all got jumbled, as I couldn’t assign priority to any of them. Then now I’m stumbled to a question “Did I pursue the wrong dream(s) or I’m not assigned to any of them or I’m assigned to all of them and I have to pursue them one by one” !
I am too clueless as I’ve lost my confidence and all the signs seem to be negative and discouraging me to dream.

My Personal Legend has repeated it self over and over again with me being able to acheive not in success but in experience.This last one is hard because there are so many dynamics in the dream.The biggest being finacial burdens and my daughter’s illness. There needs to be a building , and utilities and insurance and advertising and so on. This dream wold be owning my own Art Gallery. The Alchemist made me reliaze that it is reachable with prayer and patience and time! In the book every adventure the book had was a step forward.I see life like this ,every step I take is either a step forward or backwards but always ahead1

It’s What You Dream Of And Never Dared to Be …!
Let that Earge Get Out Of The Heart And Set It Free..!
B’Coz Whenever, Wherever You Will Walk This Earth..,
It’s Going To Be Screaming In Your Mind,”Choose Me..!”

So What are you Waiting for Now,?
Don’t Think What Is It? Why? Or How?
Get On The Track You Chose To Play With,
And Remember Make the Volume Loud..!

Don’t think Of The World Who don’t Even Know You,
They Got Many Wrong And Simple Ways To Show You,
Don’t Give up to Distracting, or Attracting The Wrong Destiny,
Creator Has Already Chose Your Path And He Is trying to Show You..!

We are a bunch of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your site provided us with helpful info to work on. You have performed an impressive job and our whole group might be thankful to you.

I want to ask something. In The Alchemist, the alchemist often told the boy to listen to his own heart and it feels like the boy had a conversation with his heart. Did the heart mention in that book refers to boy’s mind? If yes, how can we differentiate words of our heart from words of our mind? Thank you.

A personal legend.. I believe that it is something we all possess. However, realizing what it is seems to escape the vast majority of humanity. I have to admit that my own personal legend is hidden behind a veil of assumed identity that sweeps through our society, deciding for every one of us the very foundation of meaning – a purpose. I believe that The Alchemist forces us to admit the presence of a personal legend. Another book which really speaks to me is Demockery. It’s the epic tale, set in about 2002, of a South African immigrant who travels to California. I’m not going to say anything more except for the fact that the book deals with the idea that certain bureaucratic systems tend to control people through the media. Breaking free of the control takes an outsider to see through the corruption, and create his own personal legend if you will. I love this book. Give it a look, you might be surprised
here’s the link to give you all the info you want, even the first chapter of the book,
-http://www.frankwitness.com/

what if you don’t have a goal or what if you don’t know what’s your Personal Legend is??? How we find it ??
How we trace it within ourselves ? What’s the path we should take to search for our goal ??? to know what we want,How??
Mr.Coelho spoke to all the people who know what they want but afraid to achieve it or just taking the easy way of accepting their lives as it is ,people who are scared to fight for what always they dream of ,,,,but what about those people who don’t know what they want exactly but they know what they don’t want and they resent the life they’re living at the present ,,,I wanna know my Personal Legend so I can fight for it the good fight

Each one of us has his own legend he hopes to create ..this legend is got through out a journey which may be long and hard ..but throughout it there are signs which we can follow and trace listening to the bell inside ourselves which rings whenever we face a junction of road we use this bell to decide which road we have to chose to continue our way towards self legend….

I believe in our own personal legends. Each of us have this kind of desire in our hearts of achieving our goals, even if the fates trick you into turning away from them. I have undergone these several times before and right now I am kind of experiencing it again. I don’t know why but I’ve felt like turning away from my goals and starting to build another road that’ll lead me to yet another fresh goal. But as I thought about it, I started to feel a little empty inside because the old flame of my original personal legend is somewhat consuming me. Although I would rather give in to it, I am certain I cannot go back to it because of the circumstances which have made me turn away from my goal. I wanted to fight for it but I am somehow afraid and I feel I don’t have the necessary resources to do so. Is this really normal for me to feel, this “feeling of lost” as if I can’t find my way around?…

Hi Mitch
It takes tremendous courage to go and fulfil own’s personal legend. feeling lost or afraid is normal as the stakes are high. on the one hand is the safety of the path you have trodden so far and on the other, the uncertainties of the path that would lead you to yourself. I feel the same as you and understand where you are coming from. it is good to be careful, but not at the expense of costing you your dreams.
be courageous, fulfil your destiny. you will not feel complete and it seems that your heart is telling you to do it. take the first steps, things have a way of working out.
all the best my friend.

I have just been searching amazon.org for your 2010 diary… but instead came upon the collection of books in one book. The cover reminded me of my first book of Coelho’s purchased.. The Alchemist.
I love this cover. I wish i had not give my original copy away.
The cover shows the pyramids..
and for so long in my life, the pyramids held a large significance in my life.
I visited them at age 7-8 and the world.. my world was about to change. Visiting the pyramids was awesome and stuck in my mind… the image lasted well into the coming years and beyond.. when all ‘good’ things in my life were fading.
To me, the pyramids became part of my personal legend..
my search for my old self.. my true self.. my inner child self.. my god-like self…
and so it was that in The Alchemist as i began to read the story, i found santiago’s mission colliding with my own.. all infused with the strange, magnificent and symbolic landscape…

After living a childhood were i experienced so many amazing things.. like going to the Pyramids…
i was oddly, quite alone and, more and more… ‘lonely’ .. since the “real” world lacked such miracles on such a daily scale. Anyway, what i am trying to say, is that for the first time in my life… someone else’s story.. albeit Santiago [a character of PC’s]…. became almost matching to my own ‘reality’ and dreams…
something that had never happened before… because of the uniqueness of my childhood travels.

I’m not trying to sound proud… rather, trying to just say.. how the world became suddenly more friendly at that point where i read The Alchemist and discovered words such as ‘personal legend’ ;o)
Thanks ;o)

Santiago’s personal legend was a lot different than the Crystal Merchant’s the Crystal Merchant’s legend was a little bit more realistic. His was one that a lot of people have. Most people don’t have one that leads to a treasure. This did make the book a little interesting. Why did Santiago go all the way back to the church and then back across the desert again for Fatima in stead of picking her up on the way back to the church.

Hi
While in the book, the path of Santiago leads him to a treasure in the literal sense, i think it is kind of an allegory for a metaphorical treaseure, which is that which will make you happy. since this reasure differs for people, i think Paolo talked of a literal treasure which is one most people sould relate to.
but the essential message is that if you are courageous enough to go on the path of your personal legend, treasure awaits you in whichever form you most desire.

The Alchemist overall was a very interesting read. The further into this book I got, the more metaphorical the book became. This fantasy story had a way of proving the point that your dreams are important and you always need to hold onto them. I also believe, that besides the real treasure Santiago also discovered a very metaphorical treasure about people, friends, and family and how important each of those things are in life. I believe that Santiago in his journey was influenced by many people and influenced

I am really enjoying this book so far. It touches on issues which are rarely brought up. The most interesting part was the discussion of personal legend. It’s something i believe most people give up on with time, similar to de Saint-Exupery’s theory in “The Little Prince” of how most people are corrupted with age.
In this book they point out that some have such a great compassion for their dreams that they are able to overcome the cynicism of this world and actually pursue their wishes. I whole-heartedly believe that our society is filled with so much negativity that it strips people of there hopes and dreams and molds them all into sheep, following a life of repetition. I find this book a nice change which can inspire hope in people and allow them to disregard the negativity and strive to their dreams.

The religious references are just becoming more and more frequent. Its almost insulting that you must believe in such thing to de able to for fill you’re life’s meaning, and not having a personal legend is looked down upon. The character keeps referring to the “omens” and talking about who can read them and who can’t read them. The story seems to be loosing its plot in exchange for references to “Allah” and “the omens”.
I also find that the book is stereotyping people into those who follow and succeed their personal legend, and those who give up, who have sad lives. I think that the ides of EVERYONE having a personal legend is a wrong idea to be spreading in this manner.

To have a personal legend need not be the preserve of religion but that of spirituality. the book is illuminating in its simplicity and every word is almost a metaphor iven the style in which it is written. omen is a metaphor for a sign. you need not believe in God to know if there is a sign that you are or are not happy. it is a feeling.

we all have a wish, a desire, a dream, a goal. there are many words to describe this and personal legend is a fancier one but in its essence means just that – a dream. I am sure you have one too. we all do.

and i dont think paolo is looking down on people who do not undertake to fulfill that personal legend. he is empowering us, telling us, yes do it, just do it. the story is so metaphorical. santiago is a shepherd- yes there are religious connotations- sheep, pastor, shepherd but arent we all sheeps? marxism, capitalism, political ideology all employ that concept.
dont be so negative or literal in your reading of the book, give it a chance to grow on you. you may find that you are not so different from the rst of us, that you do have a personal legend and that you may want or ont to fulfill it. the rest is your choice and is it not wonderful that you have a choice? that it is not written in stone yet?

In the beginning of the book Santiago starts off knowing nothing about the world. He just wants to get to the town of the girl he likes and possibly win her heart. All he knows is being a Sheppard and he is happy with life…
Then the king of Salem decided to butt in and wreck the poor kid’s idea of happiness. He dangles treasure in front of his nose and persists that Santiago should sell his sheep. Once Santiago has discovered the meaning of a personal legend there’s no turning back for him. I think that the king has finished his personal legend and is now set on helping people follow their personal legends.
Santiago is a little too trusting in people, he gives up everything he has ever known to go in search of treasure that might not even be real. But much more than riches attracts him, the idea of traveling to the pyramids, and just the idea of discovering himself. The world is testing Santiago as he goes on his journey. There is so much he needs to learn, and yet through it all he continues to trust people and think that everyone is good.

I don’t know what my personal legend is.
I know that what I do is my calling and I enjoy it.
However, I keep thinking there is another thing I must do .
It is as if I had climbed one mountain and it were necessary to begin anew.
It is as if I were working at the Crystal Shop for some time but it were necessary to depart now.

life is all about challenge to change, to transform from one simple dream to more complex, this is a personal legend. some people do not realise what is their personal legend untill someone else steps to their life, they become a personal legend for each other, and they will make their own fate. but it doesn’t mean that every person share the same intution for finding his/her legend by the presence of other one, it means a true love should be in between and what a great moment it could be if we care about that love and help it to grow…and in my opinion thats a personal legend.

I love the way you put it.
In my comment I was talking about my job, but I have the same feeling you do.
I feel my personal legend will only be fulfilled with the presence of my other half in my life to care about that love and help it grow.
Love
Adriana

life is a challenge to change for a better one …i worked on this hardly in everything in my life i believe that everyone has a personal legend i believe that every person has a mission….not only love can step the other person for his personal legend there’s many other things that can step the person to what he want but he/she must have a believe in him/her self this book gave a lot not only 1 meaning but a lot of meanings a person maybe understands it differently than the other one

I do not know my personal legend, all my life I have failed to come up with any so answer of what i want to be or do. The warrior of Light book is funny in that everything in there is true for me. But i still fail to know or have direction in this department. Not having a goal is extremely hard for it is hard to be passionate in a path. I love to help people but wish I could on more larger scale like humanity and have great respect for Paulo as I would have done as he has. I have come to the point the in The Fifth Mountain book where it talks about choosing and fighting for a destiny. I have come and am in this point in my life but has asked my heart and soul for help in this decision but to no avail, I did get a whisper of compassion that I must lead a life with that in mind but that is it. So to what action is left I have no idea and as to a personal legend , I feel that i have been prepping all my life for it but then again I have no idea what it is again. Much love and regards to all our fellow travelers abroad this relm.
J

At the dawn of my day given I never cease to ask God to lead me, to teach me, to open my heart to receive, my eyes to see, my ears to hear what the Spirit will reveal of His divine word. What I ask I know not how it will come to me for God works not in the ways of man. In many and various ways God speaks to us and if we are spritually intune with the soul of the universe we will hear and understand. “The Alchemist” came into my life a few weeks ago as a required reading for my daughter and I have been so blessed because of it. I have allowed fear to hold my dreams in a bubble of spoken thoughts but never realized. I possess the power within me to burst the bubble and allow the dream to become one with the visible universe. I die inside every moment the dream remains hidden, untapped, unrealized. I see it. I heard it many times before it. I am because He is therefore I can do all things even that which seems impossible. Thankyou Paulo for being an instrument to the awakening of my spirit conscience. Paula Marie

I chose to reply to only this Theme because of how the book related to me.

It was like reading ‘The Neverending Story’. In the movie, the book is continuously written as Sebastian experiences his adventure in Fantasia.

Before reading The Alchemist, I had experienced every scenario Paulo Coelho writes about. From having a dream, following it, and meeting key characters along the way. My dream was about Love, and it has taken me around the world in search of her.

I worked at a Bakery before I went anywhere, and there I met a lady, the manager of the bakery, who did tours in Egypt once a year for the past few years. Naturally I had to go. It was there that magical things happened to me.

In The Alchemist, an omen for Santiago is the falcons dancing in the air. For me, my birthday was spent (pre-destined by the itinerary of the tour we were on) waking up to a sunrise on The Nile, and then visiting The Temple of Edfu. This temple is dedicated to Horus and Hathor.

Horus, it could be said by coincidence, is my Egyptian astrology sign. Hathor is the goddess of Love. I got lost following a curious gleam of light, and I broke off from the tour group. I was lead by a series of light beams against the ancient walls covered in hieroglyphics to a solitary chamber on the west side of the Temple.

Someone the previous night had mentioned how they touched some of the glyphs expecting to feel this connection or power, but it just felt to them like stone. I closed my eyes and reached out to a random spot; my hand was guided to a symbol of the falcon – the symbol of Horus.

At that moment it seemed that, like when Santiago meets Fatima at the well, that the Soul of the World surged within me. It was a more powerful feeling than anything I had experienced to that point in my life. I felt like I was the chosen one, like so many Avatars in the past having a profound experience in a Temple.

After that day, it’s as if my life has taken so many twists and turns to lead me to some important path.

I knew about The Alchemist, but from what I had heard, it seemed like a book that I should wait to be given as a gift. My girlfriend at the time gave it to me for Christmas of that same year, several months after Egypt.

I read it in one night, and each page seemed to reveal more and more about my own destiny. So many people feel that the book is written about them, but to me it was like an autobiography of my experiences, people I have met, places I have gone, even the Emerald Tablet which I had been fascinated about, I had hoped to mysteriously stumble upon in Egypt while I was there.

The only character I have not met from that book, is the alchemist. I believe that the real world equivalent of the character in the book is Paulo. For it is his writings that teach me things that advance me on my path. Omens have become a big part of my life since reading The Alchemist, and I think that the ability to see them is the greatest lesson to understanding your own Personal Legend.

Since reading the book, my path (Personal Legend) seems to be dotted with torches, to mark the way. Each Omen in my life is another torch, showing me I am still on the right path.

I have discovered that the number 9 is a significant Omen to me, my numerology is a 9, and an immeasurable number of significant experiences in my life have somewhere had the number 9. An example of this was my first response to one of Paulo’s questions on this website; I was post number 666, which equals to 9.

Hopefully one day my strange Personal Legend will lead me to meet Paulo, and he can make sense of all of this. haha.

My point to writing all of this is that you can read a book and it can be just a story, but throughout history great men have hidden messages in art. Books are art. To live the lessons you read about, to live the adventures that fascinate you are an extraordinary demonstration of this. It is important to cultivate yourself in accordance to all the great teachings of art, to live an adventure worth writing about.

When you read a best selling novel that is literally an explenation of your life, you know you are living an adventure. And if you aren’t, start now.

I once had a dream five years ago and saw the woman I was meant to be. Even though I can not define her completely, I know that my heart will know and will illuminate her once my journey is complete. I feel that this book was a way for God to show me that this dream was his way of communicating my personal destiny. My only concern is: after I have fulfilled this…then what do I do? What’s after that?

that could be because Paulo Coelho needs to invent concepts that seem compicated at first sight. the same thing happened once in the history of french litterature when writers used to rivalize with eloquence)) so Paulo is reinventing ages:) hahhahha)

When we start walking the road to our dreams, we are full of joy,enthusiasm and faith.
But when we fail again and again, our joy ,enthusiasm and faith starts to wither and one day it seems as if all these three things are totally lost and we can not walk any more.

I feel like I am at the same point as you are right now. It feels right now that I am without purpose, I feel like a fool for having taken these leaps of faith that I have been taking which has cost me a great deal (giving up the place I truly call home was no easy deed but I had to because it is apart of my journey). However, I have always had a habit of voicing my grievences to God, not as complaints, but I simply in pure honesty tell him what I feel is happening to me, and then I ask him to prove me wrong or help me see things in a different perspective. My point: Don’t wait for God to confront you. Ask Him NOW because he could very well give you the strength and encouragement you need to continue on. Failing is only failing when you have truly given up and turn back on the path that you have set on. Have you given up yet? If not, then those mishaps are not failures–they are lessons that you needed to learn. The break down in soul’s muscle that will build up into something stronger once you have recovered. It is always in the moment we feel like we are at our worst, but once the dust is settled and we can at look at the past with compassionate eyes, we see that we were at our finest.

I think it takes time to most poeple to become really able to cope and deal with thei personal legend. Sometimes, you need to live extremely hard situations and deep experiences to be able to become the real actor of your destination. life is a journey that we start blind and learn to deal with with time, acquiring tools, putting up tips to follow a path. Ruyard Kipling mainly said,
In a yellow wood, two roads diverged, and sorry I couldnt take both.
That’s potentially a more reasonable approach of our patths.
In following a path, one needs some ingredients, which he sometimes happen to miss as energy, courage, wisdom and other pilars of life are submitted to a fragile equilibrium in the course of the personal legend. Santiago’s legend is a short one. And Santiago knew (or better said my feeling is that he knew) that his destiny which he tried to keep in hand, could however vacillate anytime, thus changing the whole configuratioN. Did Santiago had had a major obstacle in his way? omens have saved him. BUt omens do not save everybody.
The Alchemist is an excellent book, however there’s a lot of imagination in it. It personaly reminds me of Candide by Voltaire, Candide which bears too titles as you know, Candide ou l’Esperance.
From a arts points of view, the comparaison with Candide would be very interesting. Santiago won and lost treasures, potentially he won also Fatima’s heart. While Candide won a quite laboring life to survive, and Cunegonde as a spouse, a women he desired, searched, and found, in a state that had nothing to see with his initial dreams.

what makes Santiago a hero in the spirit of the writers is precisely the fact that he is a winner. He won it all. Was never discouraged. Never attempted to put and end to his days. He was going somewhere he didnt know, didnt evaluate obstacles, didnt abdict. We, who read you ans try to be warriors of the light, are admiring this man who didnt cope with fate, and invented it. The road from and back the Sycamore was worth the treasure in a world where few of us have ever talked to a shepard.

I share your views completely on the similarities with Voltaire’s Candide. This takes nothing away from The Alchemist. Personally they are my two favourite books of all time. The difference is that I buy copies of The Alchemist for all my friends :-)

Personal legend is something where the mere act of following the path, just working towards goals and objectives set in those lines gives one pleasure, the actual outcome of those efforts are important but the effort iteself gives a satisfaction.

trouble with our times is that many poeple are trapped in pursing goals which are not their own. in fact many people have not even looked at finding out what might their goal in life be. Time tosses us around like a boat without any direction, without any destination. Most of the time we know what we don’t want, but we are not that clear as to what is it that we want.

Obsession, like any other attribute, is neutral; depends how we use it. for a person to be able to pursue his dreams, one needs to use obseesion too.

In the midst of struggle I’d forgotten about that poem, which I wrote as a newly crowned queen of a realm that seemed without shadow. In a graceful moment of stumbling upon this workshop, after revisiting this blessed story — these few lines from years ago sprung once more to mind, and I give passionate thanks to this brother, Paulo, for the intensity of his passion and focus and inspiration. Many blessings and much gratitude to you…

The Personal Legend: my own reason for being on this earth, my mission. Love (spiritual connection, enthusiasm) always takes me to what I really wanted when very young. Not knowing what tomorrow will bring or even if I will be here, but being determined in the present. I remember falling down so many times while learning to walk and all the getting back up again. No one could do this for me. Desire, practise and at last, the JOY of actually doing.

Our Personal Legend, seems our duty in this world… If we dont walk our path, we dont help the world to be in balance. Is that way? But world need our small deed to be balanced? Or is only for our own good?

I totally agree and have been thinking about this fairly frequently over a long time! i believe we help the world by playing our small part… and we are all guides, teachers etc… so must be honest to ourselves and so to others – so that life is true and good.
there is another interesting theory that i came upon on facebook [LOL} in a grandmothers group page… it is about a net of light – an invisible structure that the elder generation is barely managing to hold together… almost like beams of light overcoming the darkness inherent to life…
and so we as spirits must continue to shine our truth, so that we are signals and lighthouses almost to one another.

For years I have had a wall of what I find to be profound quotations in my classroom…and one of my favorites has always been:

“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.” ~Buddah

The concept of the Personal Legend seems, to me, to distill this thought down to two words and make it less of an external suggestion and more of a personal imperative. The very idea that we each have a specific, unique, and personal purpose in life is empowering. While there may be frustration if the “discovery” part takes time, it’s meaningful that it’s not an “if” but a “when”.

I wonder, if more people lived life secure in the knowledge that their life DOES have a purpose, would there be less unhappiness, less focus on materialism, less self-destructive behavior? I can’t help but think that people living with a sense of actual purpose would live without the negativity that consumes so many.

I totally agree with you…i’m 28 and i am just realizing that i have always been obsessed by something…but it was not MY thing.
Personal legend comes with the heart, obsession is something created by society…watch out the signs and just let your soul being one with the soul of the world (but yes it is hard and i did’nt find it yet!)

I agree indeed with Annie – that until reading the Alchemist, it was almost as if this concept, ‘a Personal Legend’ had never been broached before. Perhaps we knew it through travesities in drama/ musical symphonies or even romantic poetry… but until written as in a simple fable story, the path always seemed so out of reach, untranslatable even perhaps. So, it was through identifying closely with Santiago and of having an unfulfilled dream within a life, that one had to pursue that personal legend, that I found courage to believe in my own i guess.
The book was an incredible story, pricisely because, like the Prophet or St.John of the Cross poems, the story was so clear, so simple and so honest – and that made the message of the good fight be in reach to an everyday reader like I.

There is the personal legend and also the acceptance of its own personal Legend. In what relates to me, I have had the great rejoicing that God me shows the way. I understood despite the suffering, that only in his heart is registered his own personal legend. It must be put in path and go toward it. In December, 2 angels came to me to me lead in the mountains where I have listened God say to me “go toward them , because I am among men”. I have so much love for men , and I expected both this day when you come back me up Lord. Thank you you sent me your angels, you raised me actually accompanied by a guardian angel in the mountains and sue the ways of St. Jacques de Compostelles this winter: And you me as shown both mysteries , both of things hidden and so wonderful. And then i was afraid to speak and fear of not power; but today I know and I understand, and I would keep the faith in my heart. I met with Saint Jean on my way, I felt the great energy of love to my guardian angel and to the others angels, I have shared with tenderness the presence of my guardian angel and its caresses on my face when I was suffering, Marie gave me her tenderness and i was reassured when I was afraid of this invisible world which opened to me . My soul is today standing and love that I have in my heart since any small can live in any place. My private road must open today to the path public, and I look at my feet of Light me driving on the path you traces before me , by Your infinite love and For the love of people.

I live and work on a path guided by God . In my heart i think you , God lets on our way the signs, Love is the key which opens the doors of the joy , and you are the key opens your path to the Love and your own personal legend.

I have been brought before the House of Paulo Coelho and therefore toward this blog, this is therefore not a coincidence !! I will leave you therefore these few words received qur my path of Saint Jacques “that your path of life is always a path of love, wherever you are”

And love and the hope that each opens his heart to the joys life , in living fully every day that you are offered.

Always Believe in you , and you will be rewarded a day . Love and live .